Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability

Gestart door jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter), 16/01/2013 | 11:53 uur

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Boeing, Lockheed Martin Protest Air Force Bomber Contract Award

Boeing Co. | November 06, 2015

ST. LOUIS --- Boeing and Lockheed Martin filed a formal protest today asking the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the decision to award the Long Range Strike-Bomber (LRS-B) contract to Northrop Grumman.

Boeing and Lockheed Martin concluded the selection process for the Long Range Strike Bomber was fundamentally flawed. The cost evaluation performed by the government did not properly reward the contractors' proposals to break the upward-spiraling historical cost curves of defense acquisitions, or properly evaluate the relative or comparative risk of the competitors' ability to perform, as required by the solicitation.

That flawed evaluation led to the selection of Northrop Grumman over the industry-leading team of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, whose proposal offers the government and the warfighter the best possible LRS-B at a cost that uniquely defies the prohibitively expensive trends of the nation's past defense acquisitions.


Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 112,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's net sales for 2014 were $45.6 billion.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Defense, Space & Security is a $31 billion business with 53,000 employees worldwide.

Northrop Grumman Statement on Boeing's Protest of the Long-Range Strike Bomber Program

Northrop Grumman Corp. | November 06, 2015

FALLS CHURCH, Va. --- The following is a statement by Randy Belote, vice president of strategic communications for Northrop Grumman Corporation:

"Northrop Grumman Corporation is disappointed that its former LRS-B competitors have decided to disrupt a program that is so vital to national security.

"The U.S. Air Force conducted an exceptionally thorough and disciplined process with multiple layers of review. Their process took into full account the parties' respective offerings and their relative capabilities to execute their offerings on schedule and on budget.

"Northrop Grumman offered an approach that is inherently more affordable and based on demonstrated performance and capabilities. Our record stands in contrast to that of other manufacturers' large aircraft programs of the last decade.

"As the only company to ever design and build a stealth bomber, we offered the best solution for our nation's security. We look forward to the GAO reaffirming the Defense Department's decision so we can continue work on this critically vital program."

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/168603/boeing%2C-lockheed-protest-lrs_b-award-as-northrop-scoffs.html
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

How LRS-B fits into wider nuclear modernisation efforts

Daniel Wasserbly, Washington, DC - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly | 28 October 2015

The US Air Force (USAF) announced on 27 October that it had selected Northrop Grumman to build its new fleet of Long-Range Strike Bombers (LRS-Bs), which could possibly include about 100 aircraft.

This is major news and - if all goes well - a potential windfall for Northrop Grumman, although the secretive nature of the programme and the enticing prospect for a new-fangled aircraft perhaps overshadow the wider modernisation kicking off for the US 'nuclear triad' of bombers, intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBMs), and ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs).

Estimates for nuclear modernisation costs vary as they use different metrics, but in January the Congressional Budget Office projected current plans would cost USD348 billion in fiscal year 2015-24, an average of about USD35 billion annually, and reach USD1 trillion total into the 2040s.

LRS-B is by no means an insignificant part of that. USAF numbers indicate that developing and buying the aircraft will cost about USD79.94 billion (in 2016 dollars): a total IHS Jane's arrived at using the service's expected average unit procurement cost of USD564 million for 100 aircraft plus USD23.54 billion in expected development costs, without factoring in life-cycle sustainment costs or future upgrades.

The figure also takes no account of the variety of equally secretive complementary systems for LRS-B to update the USAF's aerial nuclear strike capabilities. These elements include developing a Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) cruise missile to replace the nuclear-capable AGM-86 air-launched cruise missile, improved sensors for target location, and new survivable communications systems.

However, this will also occur while the air force seeks to upgrade its ageing ICBMs and related infrastructure. Officials are now assessing alternatives for replacing the Boeing LGM-30G Minuteman III missile through the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) programme. The USAF additionally plans to take the B61 nuclear bomb through a life-extension programme.

In one of the more costly efforts, the US Navy plans to replace its Ohio-class submarines with the Ohio-class replacement programme (ORP) and its Trident II D-5 missiles with a life-extension programme.

http://www.janes.com/article/55594/how-lrs-b-fits-into-wider-nuclear-modernisation-efforts
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

Sparkplug

Seven Ways to Make the LRS-B Program a Success

Center for Strategic and International Studies | October 27, 2015

The U.S. Air Force announced today that Northrop Grumman was selected to build the next bomber, known within the Pentagon as LRS-B (Long Range Strike–Bomber). This is one of the most consequential new defense programs for the foreseeable future and the only new manned combat aircraft currently in development.

The new bomber will be an essential part of the future force, providing the ability to penetrate enemy air defenses and strike targets over great distances—quite literally putting the "global" in the Air Force's global precision strike mission.

Barring a successful protest that forces a do over, the LRS-B competition is done, but the long and potentially perilous development phase of the acquisition process is just beginning.

Many things can (and often do) go wrong in defense acquisitions, but here are seven things the military, contractor team, and Congress can do to help keep the program on track.

Het rapport als pdf bestand.
http://csis.org/files/publication/151027_Harrison_LRS-B_Program_Commentary.pdf

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/articles-view/release/3/168243/seven-ways-to-make-the-lrs_b-program-a-success.html
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.

dudge

Citaat van: jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter) op 27/10/2015 | 22:30 uur
Northrop Grumman won the contract to build the US Air Force's next-gen Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B), an industry-shaping deal that breathes new life into the world's sixth-largest defense company.

Nou, die zijn dan wel even veilig gesteld. Benieuwd of ze het waar gaan maken.

CitaatFor the Pentagon, the hard part is about to begin. A bid protest seems inevitable given that LRS-B is the first major military aircraft acquisition program since the JSF award in 2001,

Het is maar wat je Major noemt natuurlijk, maar met KC-X en de P8 beide ruim over de 30 miljard zijn dat geen kleine programmatjes.

jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)

Northrop Grumman Wins Air Force's Long Range Strike Bomber Contract

By Lara Seligman and Andrew Clevenger 5:17 p.m. EDT October 27, 2015

Northrop Grumman won the contract to build the US Air Force's next-gen Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B), an industry-shaping deal that breathes new life into the world's sixth-largest defense company.

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/2015/10/27/northrop-grumman-wins-usaf-bomber-contract/74661394/


jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)

Citaat van: Thomasen op 27/10/2015 | 19:51 uur
Ik denk dat ze voor Amerikaans gaan 😅

:angel: zou je denken?

Boeiend vind ik het wel....

Het zal mij benieuwen of ze ook het winnende model presenteren (al was het maar als animatie)

dudge


jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)



jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)

Pentagon plans to announce winner of LRS-B on Oct. 27

Bloomberg says the Pentagon is scheduled to announce the winning team for the Long Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) contract after markets closed on Oct. 27.

http://alert5.com/2015/10/27/pentagon-plans-to-announce-winner-of-lrs-b-on-oct-27/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)

Prototypes of new U.S. long range stealth bombers may already have been flown as spending on secret project jumps to $1bn

US Air Force moving forward with plans for a next-generation bomber
Contract for top-secret project is expected to be awarded within months
Spending on the project is said to have topped a billion dollars this year
Long Range Strike Bomber running as a classified program since 2011

By Julian Robinson for MailOnline

Published: 15:33 GMT, 21 September 2015


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3243491/Prototypes-new-long-range-stealth-bombers-built-tested-spending-project-jumps-1bn.html#ixzz3mOY6rzf7


jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)

LRS-B Details Emerge: Major Testing, Risk Reduction Complete

By Aaron Mehta 11:26 a.m. EDT September 2, 2015

WASHINGTON — The two designs competing to be the US Air Force's next generation bomber have undergone extensive testing by the service and are far more mature than previously known, to a level nearly unheard of in the Pentagon before a contract award, Defense News has learned.

Het volledige artikel, zie link:

http://www.defensenews.com/story/breaking-news/2015/09/02/new-air-force-bomber-testing-stealth-wind-test/71572050/

jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)

America's $55 billion bomber battle heats up

by  Clay Dillow - June 12, 2015

The decision over who will build America's next stealth bomber will shake up the defense industry.

It could happen in August, or maybe in late July. Depending on who you ask, it could even happen before the end of this month. No one—at least no one who's talking publicly—seems to know exactly when the U.S. Air Force will award a $55 billion development and procurement contract for the branch's next-generation long-range bomber.

Voor het gehele artikel: zie link:

http://fortune.com/2015/06/12/america-military-bomber/

Sparkplug

New bomber on track despite possible $460M cut, USAF says

By James Drew | May 13, 2015

The two-star general in charge of the US Air Force's nuclear mission says the Long-Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) programme is "going exceedingly well" and meeting its major milestones despite a four-month delay to downselecting a prime contractor.

Maj Gen Garrett Harencak says he agrees with the $460 million funding reduction recently proposed by the house armed services committee for fiscal 2016, since the air force won't be able to spend big on the programme until the contract is awarded anyway. Northrop Grumman and a Boeing-Lockheed Martin team are vying for the contract.

"We can keep this system on track and take those reductions," he said at a 13 May Air Force Association event in Washington, noting that there would likely be years when money needs to be shifted from another account to support the bomber.

According to language in the committee's defense policy bill, the four-month contract delay left the air force with $360 million in surplus funding appropriated for fiscal 2015 that can cover some of next year's expenditures. The additional $100 million can be cut due to a "slower spend rate" in fiscal 2016. In total, the committee would fund the LRS-B at $786.2 million. The programme requires $14 billion in funding over the next five years.

The air force wants to buy 80 to 100 stealthy, nuclear-capable bombers at a cost of about $550 million per copy to supplement and then eventually replace the aging B-1 Lancer and B-52 fleets. Air force acquisition spokesman Ed Gulick says the service expects to award a contract this summer.

According to Clark Murdock of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, spending on nuclear modernisation will spike from 4-5% of the entire defence budget to about 8-9% in the 2020s when accounting for LRS-B, although that's still proportionally less than other nuclear powers like Russia and China spend on their strategic nuclear weapons. The new bomber will also support conventional operations.

Murdock thinks investment in a new bomber is critically important to America's national security strategy.

"Our defence budget is cost-capped, and it leads everybody to question every expenditure because you're trying to force as much programme into your budget as possible," he says, referring to automatic spending limits known as sequestration. "Everybody's trying to sneak their nose into the tent and foot in the door.

"You should identify your must-have capabilities and adequately fund them, because you don't want to have inadequately funded must-have capabilities. It's an oxymoron."

The air force asked Congress for $1.25 billion to support the bomber program in its fiscal 2016 budget request published in March. That funding profile climbs to $3.8 billion annually by 2020.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/new-bomber-on-track-despite-possible-460m-cut-usaf-412295/
A fighter without a gun . . . is like an airplane without a wing.

-- Brigadier General Robin Olds, USAF.